Idiots and Wankers: Grindcore Sociality

Abstract

In this chapter, I turn to brutal social relations, which occur in brutal spaces and enable, or constrain belonging. In short, I look at how scene members enact, and experience, brutal belonging socially. The experience of being in a grindcore space during a live performance is affective and fosters belonging for scene members. However, with this belonging comes a process of designating those who do not belong in the scene. Here, I will discuss scene members’ experiences of belonging to the grindcore scene and how this works in relation to other scenes and, in Japan’s case, dominant modes of national belonging.